A lot of good music comes out of North Carolina. Eric Bachmann was born and raised there. But he's also spent time in Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, and Seattle. The single, "Mercy" from his new album, Eric Bachmann, due out from Merge in March, is all kinds of things. The song begins with a Motown beat, and transitions into something that marries doo-wop with The Magnetic Fields. Bachmann's lyrics are funny, but they're also full of realizations that can only come after living some life. Bachmann seems comfortable at 45: he's been part of some great indie bands, he's played on tour with Neko Case, and now he seems to just be having fun. He's making big statements like, "It's only mercy now that you need in your world." It's always fun when artists get to this point: having done a lot of different things and finally settling into what they genuinely want to do. Bachmann has been part of Archers of LoafandCrooked Fingers, he's been known as Barry Black, he's worked with Ben Folds, but now, now he's Bachmann, and that seems like a good thing.